Daily Jolt, June 12: Kings dismiss Rangers' win as luck

On Wednesday, puck luck finally wore blue. With a chance to sweep the Blueshirts and hoist Lord Stanley's Cup at Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles played a dominant game, outshooting the hosts 42-19, but ended up on the short end of a 2-1 loss. But instead of crediting Henrik Lundqvist's 40-save effort, they dwelled on a slow start, missed opportunities and a few unlucky bounces. "We easily could have won that game," said defenseman Drew Doughty. "We just didn't bear down at the right time. It's not like they had any great opportunities or anything like that, so we're not worried about it." ... Doughty, when talking about going home, even took a shot at the surface of the World's Most Famous Arena. "We're at Staples Center, we're on good ice. We're looking forward to it." (New York Daily News)Comment

Star running back Marshawn Lynch may soon be even more conspicuous in his absence. When the Seattle Seahawks convene for mandatory minicamp next week, the team doesn't expect [Lynch] to be there, according to sources familiar with the team's thinking. Lynch, who skipped the team's visit to the White House in May, and reportedly hasn't appeared at any of the team's voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) thus far, is thought to be unhappy with his contract, though it's not clear if that is the only football-related reason the running back is considering skipping or reporting late to minicamp. Entering the third year of a four-year deal the running back signed with the Seahawks in 2012, Lynch is set to earn a base salary of $5 million this year and $5.5 million next. (Yahoo Sports)Comment

Former North Carolina basketball star Rashad McCants made headlines late last week with his allegations of academic fraud -- something that left Roy Williams in "shock" and "disbelief." But McCants, in an appearance Wednesday on "Outside the Lines," stood by his allegations and called on all former players from 2004-05 to release their academic transcripts, which would show whether they, too, took bogus African-American studies classes: "If you want to find the truth, the truth is there in the transcripts," McCants said. A copy of McCants' university transcript, labeled "unofficial" and obtained by "Outside the Lines," shows that in his non-African-American studies classes, McCants received six C's, one D and three F's. (ESPN.com)Comment

Must-See Photo

The Kings beat Henrik Lundqvist for what would have been the game-tying goal late in the third period. The only problem? The puck picked up loose snow on the ice and came to a halt right on the goal line. So instead it was no goal, and the Stanley Cup Final heads to Game 5. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Must-See Video

Neymar and Brazil kick off the World Cup on Thursday. SI's Grant Wahl previews the opener vs. Croatia.